Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Hello Dear Readers! 

This will be my final blog post for 2024. 

I would like to thank you all for a warm welcome to the community and an excellent season and harvest. It was not without challenges and lessons, but ultimately, we ended on a very positive note.

A note of gratitude also to all who attended the "Season in Review" session. It was lovely to see you all there and I hope it was helpful. 

The PDFs of all slides and the Bud Hardiness Report are posted on the Perennia Website. Please click on the link below and follow the "Viticulture 2024 Season Wrap-Up Presentations" tab. The audio to the presentations will be available in due course and posted in the same website section.

https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/grapes/?portfolioCats=87

We will continue to build on the themes and questions that emerged from the session, and address them in the season to come. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

In order to continue evolving and improving, I would ask that you take a few minutes to complete the short survey below. It will help me focus on themes we want to develop for the future. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YS2CSZP

Thank you all again, and I look forward to working with you all in the New Year. 

Happy Holidays, and Cheers! to the Year ahead.

Sincerely,

Katarina 

Katarina Vucic MSc DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390 

 

See you Soon! Growing Forward~ 28 November 8:30am

Hello Dear Readers!

We are about two weeks away from our "Growing Forward" Season in review event.

Let's get together, share our experiences and reflect on the season. This is a COMPLIMENTARY event, with lunch and snacks provided.

To sign up for the "Growing Forward" session, please click on the link below:

https://www.perennia.ca/eventer/viticulture-season-wrap-up/edate/2024-11-28/

Please make sure to indicate any dietary restrictions on the registration. 

Registration cut-off is: 

Friday, 22 November at NOON 

Schedule of Events:

8:30-9am                    REGISTRATION

9:00-9:10am            KATARINA VUCIC         WELCOME

9:15-9:35am            ALLAN THOMPSON       PERENNIA

9:40-10:00am          GGANS                           BERNIE THORNE

 

10:00-10:30

TEA/COFFEE BREAK AND WINE-CHEESE BINGO

10:35-11:10am      JEFF FRANKLIN              SEASON WEATHER

11:20-11:40am       KATARINA VUCIC           PHENOLOGY

11:50-12:20 pm      CGCN                            

12:30-1:30pm LUNCH

1:40-pm-2:10            HARRISON WRIGHT    VINE BALANCE 

2:15-3pm                   KEVIN KER                   BLACK ROT

Location: 250 Veterans Dr, Berwick, NS B0P 1E0

Thank you all for your time, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Cheers!

Katarina Vucic MSc DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

 

www.perennia.ca

 

UPCOMING EVENT: GROWING FORWARD- SEASON WRAP UP AND REVIEW

 Hello Dear Readers! This will be a short blog today.

By all accounts, harvest is winding down with possibly only a few late varieties left to pick.

As we head into November, it is time for a breath and to reflect on our successes throughout this season.  

With that in mind, I have been organizing a “Season Wrap Up” event for the 28^th November 8:30am-4:00pm at the Berwick Community Hall-Lions Club. The session will cover prevention methods and practices regarding diseases, vine balance and clean plant material.

 

In addition to several other speakers, Dr. Kevin Ker will be visiting and presenting as well.

This is a complimentary event with lunch provided.

The registration page will be live in the next week or so, so please check the Perennia website for details. Also, be sure to note any dietary restrictions you may have on the registration form.

 

Mark your calendars and join us for an educational and engaging in-person session.

 

Beginning next year, one of my focus themes will be running a successful grape growing business. The November gathering in essence is laying the groundwork for several themes I will be working on next year.

Thank you all for your time this week and I look forward to seeing you at the event in November.

Cheers!

Katarina

Katarina Vucic MSc DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

 

www.perennia.ca

 

Growing Forward: Season Wrap Up Event- 28 November, 2024

                                      Hello, and Happy Harvest Dear Readers!

As you are all no doubt in the middle of harvest, I will keep this post relatively brief.

Firstly, please, SAVE THE DATE in your calendars for our:

Season Wrap Up event.

Set for November 28, 2024, the central theme “Growing Forward” will explore strategies that equip growers with the tools needed to keep building a healthy and sustainable grape-growing business.

Following a successful growing season, it's time to collectively reflect on what we've learned and apply those insights for future achievements.

This is a complimentary event with lunch provided on site. The details are below:

DATE: Thursday, 28 November 2024.

LOCATION: Berwick Lions Club

TIME: Registration 8:30am.

EVENT DURATION: 9am- 3PM

And now, the weekly harvest update: Precipitation, GDD and phenological stages are provided by the Kentville Research Station up to 27^th September 2024.

Table 1. Precipitation.

Month	25-Year Average (mm)	Current Year (mm)
April	81.5	54.0
May	74.0	29.8
June	95.5	83.0
July	81.3	201.7
August	94.5	30.1
September	104.1	76.8**
October	115.8

**Up to September 27, 2024

Table 2. Growing degree days up to September 27, 2024

Growing degree days, base of 10 °C starting on April 1
Current Year	10-Year Average
1179.4	1082.8

 Table 3. Phenological stages of three varieties of grape by date for the KRDC Research Vineyard. Bud break for all three varieties was between May 18 and May 20, 2024.

Date of Assessment	Marquette	L’Acadie blanc	New York Muscat
27-September	READY FOR HARVEST	READY FOR HARVEST	READY FOR HARVEST

 Table 4: The Below Brix and Acidity measurements are my own sourced from several locations in the Kentville/Wolfville area. All analysis was conducted by ALab technicians at Acadia University using the FOSS system.

DATE	VARIETY	BRIX	TA
25-Sep-24	L'ACADIE	20.5	9.56
25-Sep-24	FRONTENAC  BLANC	24.7	15.84
25-Sep-24	OSCEOLA  MUSCAT	19.3	9.33
25-Sep-24	NY MUSCAT	19.8	6.02
25-Sep-24	CHARDONNAY	18.7	13.47
25-Sep-24	MARQUETTE	26.6	15.33
25-Sep-24	PINOT NOIR	18.9	12.44

TA was measured in grams per liter.

All monitored cultivars with the exception of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have since been harvested at the Kentville/Wolfville locations. Upcoming results will only focus on those two cultivars.

Brix Accumulation in Carleton area for 2 October 2024 are:

DATE	VARIETY	BRIX
2-Oct-24	SEYVAL BLANC	19
2-Oct-24	L'ACADIE BLANC	19.5
2-Oct-24	CHARDONNAY	18

Measurements were taken by refractometer.

Thank you all for your time this week.

Please note: in preparation for future events, I will be sending out a short survey asking your insight into topics you would like to approach-whether they be best practice sessions, seminars, panel discussions ect.

I do encourage you to register for the Growing Forward session on the 28^th November.

I will be posting a registration link where you would also be able to indicate dietary restrictions for the lunch provided.

I am looking forward to seeing you, and please, if you would like a visit prior to the day, do let me know; I will make arrangements to see you.

Thank you again, and enjoy this wonderful weather.

Cheers!

 Katarina Vucic MSc DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

www.perennia.ca

 

Weekly Vineyard Update

 Hello Dear Readers, and welcome to the weekend!

I wanted to give you a quick update this week as we proceed with harvest. Below is the precipitation, GDD and phenological information from the Kentville Research Centre.

Table 1.  Precipitation totals for the Kentville Research and Development Centre by month.

Month	25-Year Average (mm)	Current Year (mm)
April	81.5	54.0
May	74.0	29.8
June	95.5	83.0
July	81.3	201.7
August	94.5	30.1
September	104.1	65.5**
October	115.8

**Up to September 19, 2024

Table 2. Growing degree days up to September 19, 2024. All temperature data were recorded at the Kentville Research and Development Centre.

Single sine degree days, base of 0 °C starting on April 1		Growing degree days, base of 10 °C starting on April 1
Current Year	10-Year Average	Current Year	10-Year Average
2702.8	2604.17	1143.1	1043.2

 

Table 3. Phenological stages of three varieties of grape by date for the KRDC Research Vineyard. Bud break for all three varieties was between May 18 and May 20, 2024.

Date of Assessment	Marquette	L’Acadie blanc	New York Muscat
19-September	Berries not quite ripe	Berries harvest ripe	Berries harvest ripe

 

Table 4. Post-veraison brix and acid values of three varieties of grape, by date, for the KRDC Research Vineyard. TA is the total acidity expressed in grams per litre and measured by titration using a Hanna (model#  HI 84502) titrator.  Brix is total soluble solids (sugar accumulation) expressed as % and measured with an Atago Digital Hand-Held Pocket Refractometer.

Date of Assessment	Marquette		L’Acadie blanc		New York Muscat
	Brix (%)	TA (g/L)	Brix (%)	TA (g/L)	Brix (%)	TA (g/L)
19-September	23.0	15.6	20.0	12.9	18.6	6.7

My own measurements are below: All samples have been sent to the Acadia Wine Lab for analysis. All samples were harvested and assessed on 17 September 2024.

     Variety               BRIX             TA

L'ACADIE	20	10.25
FRONTENAC  BLANC	20.5	22.41
OSCEOLA  MUSCAT	20.9	12.05
NY MUSCAT	17.8	7.06
CHARDONNAY	17.8	15.35
MARQUETTE	21.5	15.69
PINOT NOIR	17.2	15.44

 

In terms of noting other occurrences in vineyards, I have observed some Late-Season Bunch Stem Necrosis (LBSN).

    

                        

 Marquette

Late-Stage Bunch Stem Necrosis:

Timeline:

The bunch stems shrivel during ripening, followed closely by berry shrivel. 

Cause and Development:

Late-Stage Bunch Stem Necrosis (LBSN) is a physiological problem that happens in response to stresses in the environment (eg: excessive rain, frost, freeze the previous year).  

Stress causes the plant’s xylem (the “veins” of the plant that transports water and nutrients) to shut down in the cluster during ripening. With a dead xylem, water cannot be transported to the rest of the cluster. The bunch stems dry first, followed by the berries drying up as well. This means that developing treatment recommendations is a complex, long-term task that may vary by vineyard.

Please note:

·       Late Stage Bunch Stem Necrosis is NOT a disease, so fungicides are not effective against it.

·       LBSN should not be confused with diseases that cause mummies, such as black rot and bunch rot.

     Other Seasonal Diseases and Pests:

     Please do be on the lookout for Botrytis and Sour Rot especially in the susceptible varieties. As currently observed, there does not appear much damage, but do be vigilant as both affect berry quality, the subsequent fermentation and resulting wine.

Again, I will be on the road next week, so if you would like a visit, please let me know. Monday, I will be in the Malagash Area and Wednesday South Shore.

Thank you all for your time this week, and happy harvest!

Cheers!

Katarina

Sources:

Klodd, Annie. University of Minnesota Extension Service. Grape Breeding and Enology
Tracking Down the Causes of Bunch Stem Necrosis | Grape Breeding and Enology (umn.edu)

Katarina Vucic MSc DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

www.perennia.ca